Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's Secretary of State running for Governor in 2026 midterm elections

Michigan's 2026 governor's race has placed Jocelyn Benson in a familiar position of defending the mechanisms of American democracy while advancing her argument that she can manage the state itself. The 48-year-old democrat has spent most of her professional life in election law and civil rights, but her campaign is focused on issues far removed from the ballot on affordability, jobs, healthcare, education, housing and Michigan's place in an increasingly tech-driven economy.

Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson is seeking to succeed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (AP)Who is Jocelyn Benson and what are her promises?The daughter of two special education teachers, Benson grew up in a middle-class household before studying at Wellesley College, Oxford and Harvard Law School.

She went on to become a civil-rights lawyer and, at 35, became dean of Wayne State University Law School, making her the youngest woman to lead an accredited U.S. law school at the time. She was elected Michigan secretary of state in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Beyond politics, Benson is married to Ryan Friedrichs, a U.S. Army veteran, and they have a son. She has been active in advocating for military spouses. There is no reliable, authoritative single figure for her net worth, public disclosures give her financial ranges, rather than an audited number.

Also Read | Amy Acton bets on her experience as state's health director in Ohio Governor race against Vivek Ramaswamy us midterms As governor, Benson has promised to focus on the cost of living, including housing, childcare, healthcare and energy.

She wants economic development incentives tied to actual job creation and has argued that Michigan needs higher wages and stronger domestic industries. Her approach to tariffs is notably critical of the Trump administration.

Because Michigan's economy is closely linked to Canada, she has warned of tariffs raising costs and affecting automotive and manufacturing supply chains. Also Read | US midterms: What’s at stake for Donald Trump and the 2028 hopefuls Technology is another growing area for Benson.

She promotes responsible AI development and wants more transparency around AI-generated political advertising. On data centres, however, she has called for stronger safeguards, particularly around electricity, water, environmental impact and local hiring and has supported pausing projects where there are not yet adequate protections.

That position has sparked an uncomfortable political issue of its own. Friedrichs has worked for Related Companies, which was involved in a proposed data centre project in Saline Township. Republicans and other critics have questioned if that connection creates a conflict of interest.

Benson has dismissed the suggestion that her family has profited from data centres, while Friedrichs withdrew from Michigan projects. Her criticism of the Iran war has focused on its effects at home: fuel prices and household costs while attacking John James for supporting the Trump administration's Iran policy.

The broader picture of Benson's campaign is one of a democrat trying to move from defending Michigan's elections to facing the economic pressures against its families. Ashka Singh is an undergraduate student of English Literature at Miranda House, University of Delhi, with an interest in the spaces between what is said and what is felt, and in the stories that acquire new meanings through different eyes.

A recipient of national-level recognition from the Government of India, she has also been recognised twice for writing at the Amity Literary Meet. Her writing moves between the intimate and the social, often returning to questions of patriarchy, womanhood, relationships, and the invisible structures that shape life.

Alongside her practice, she works with the editorial team of the Miranda House Students’ Union and leads content for AAVYA, the Animal Welfare Society of Miranda House. She finds herself most at home in poetry. This sensibility extends to her interest in cinema, psychology, music, and the layered aesthetics of Indian cultural traditions.

She has a fondness for the unhurried beauty of ghazals, the cadence of shayari, and the lingering soul of a qawwali. Beyond the newsroom, she is likely to be found in the company of animals, particularly dogs - an affection she considers far less complicated than most human affairs.

For Ashka, to write is to notice, to feel, and to remain truthful to both.Read More